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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Friendly Village Tablescape...

Once again, I am excited to be participating in Tablescape Thursday" hosted by Susan at "Between Naps on the Porch." If you come here first, be sure to go by there and see the many gorgeous tablescapes!

I had the opportunity to do a tablescape with my mom for a festival at her church. Ladies there decorate tables for this annual dinner. Not only do you get to bring all your things from home, you then get to eat at these beautiful tables a fabulous catered meal. And then, you get to tear it all down and bring it home!

We wanted to use her Johnson Brothers "Friendly Village." She has quite a collection of this and most are the older pieces which have that beautiful color. I will apologize for the lighting because it made for some really bad colors in the photos, but I think you will enjoy the tablescapes all the same!!

We used two different vintage linen napkins. I turned one diagonal and the other square.

I placed the iced tea spoons although they are normally brought with the tea. We served the tea at the beginning.

I made the place cards with the help of the computer. It took forever for me to get the color right.

I love these little votives nestled in the cranberries. I just moved these to the center of the table when dinner began.

The arrangement is different types of pine, nandina berries and holly. I used a vintage silver punch bowl and tray from Spain. Unfortunately, you cannot see the cranberries around the base, but you could see the reflection there in person.

Here is the "Bling" I promised! These lovely sterling silver candleholders were passed down in our family.

I love this crystal...it is "Cristal d'Arques Durand Longchamp." I first saw this crystal when I lived in Washington D.C. I bought a few at a time, and now I have twelve four-piece-place settings.

Of course, I used the Wallace "Louvre" sterling from 1893. This pattern is so old that many pieces are just not available. The iced tea spoons are Alvin "Bridal Bouquet." I think it is a nicely, complimentary pattern for the Louvre.

These sterling and mother of pearl butter spreaders are by "Landers/Frary/Clark."

And now some of the other tables...

Most were more fun and casual...

I think this one is really elegant...

There were 25 tables in all, and I didn't get photos of all of them but you get a sampling! The most fun was doing this with my mom. We have never done anything like this, so that made it all worth it!

What I would like to do it take an event like this and use it as a fund raiser for a community cause. If any of you have done anything like this, let me know!

16 comments:

Wow--I love yours the best. I can't believe you had to cart all of that there--tricky!! I love the idea of the cranberries and votive--so brilliant!! Love the centerpiece too! AND then all of the dishes, silverware, candlesticks--wow!

Those dishes are great! I could see using them through the whole winter. I love what you did with those little dishes with the cranberries and votive candles. I picked up a set of 4 of those in an amber color and I may have to adapt that idea for our Thanksgiving dinner table.

Oh, what lovely tables! I have to admit - yours and your mother's table is the prettiest! Love those dishes and the votive in the cranberries is a great idea. I have those same crystal glasses.Thanks for popping in to see me.Be a sweetie,Shelia ;)

Your table is beautiful. May have to borrow the cranberry idea. The other tables were fun, but you and your mom may need to go show some of the others how the utensils are supposed to be set. You and your mom did it correctly and beautifully!

Your table is beautiful. I have to say that I think you were very brave to take your sterling silver to a public event...even if it was church sponsored. I went to our local fundraiser tabletop event this afternoon. I'll probably post it next week (of course I took my camera). Ours charges $5 to attend. It is set up in a local furniture store, and their tables are used (no eating at these tables). This year there were over 50 tables. They sell raffle tickets for 8 of the tables for $5 each. Each table is sponsored by a local business and the items for the raffled tables are purchased by the furniture store for a $500 donation from the business that is willing to be a part of the raffle. Each table has the name of the business, and some are themed to represent what the business does...most aren't.

They also have a winery come and do a wine tasting (free/very small samples) and they provide wonderful treats of sweets, cheesecakes, little sandwiches and punch. It is a very successful event and growing every year.

Anita, your table is exquisite! It is just breathtaking. I love everything from the sterling pattern to the candlelabras to the dishes to the crystal to the place cards to the linens to the centerpiece! GORGEOUS! Y'all did a great job, and the other tables are pretty, too.

Anita,I just found your blog through Tablescape Thursday, and I have had the best time looking through your posts! You certainly have a flair for decorating and tablescaping!

I know that you and your mom had fun creating the table for her church's event. I helped to institute something like this, a Literary Tea, for Delta Kappa Gamma, an educational sorority. Members paired up for a table and came up with a favorite book (We used The Secret Garden). We then decorated the table using a theme for the book (we used floral china, old keys threaded through satin ribbon, robins in nests, and gave bookmarks with quotations from the book for favors). A copy of the table's book is displayed and then is used as a doorprize for a lucky attendee. Tickets were sold for $10. Each member of the organization brought finger foods, which were displayed in an elegant buffet. Not all members served as hostesses at their tables; some were required in the kitchen to boil water for tea and to replenish the buffet. It has become an annual event and is always so much fun to see everyone's creativity!

Anita, I just spotted this link in your sidebar and had to click on it! My soon-to-be daughter-in-law inherited her grandmother's extensive collection of Friendly Village, and she loves to see new ways to feature it on a pretty table. I will send her a link to this one! I love the cranberries and candles in the sherbet stems!